


The Way I Loved You

by GilbertsMangoes



Series: Tales of Dramione [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Dramatic Hermione Granger, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Song Lyrics, Song: The Way I Loved You (Taylor Swift), all he wants is a happy hermione, dramione - Freeform, hermione is stubborn but we love her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:36:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GilbertsMangoes/pseuds/GilbertsMangoes
Summary: In which Hermione should be happy with her new kind, caring, loyal, and boring boyfriend, but can't help reminisce over her old one.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Blaise Zabini, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Mr Granger/Mrs Granger (Harry Potter)
Series: Tales of Dramione [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888141
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	The Way I Loved You

_He is sensible and so incredible  
And all my single friends are jealous_

_He says everything I need to hear and it's like  
I couldn't ask for anything better_

Hermione stood on her doorstep with Ginny and Luna. They were having a triple date with their respective boyfriends; they were all going to dinner.

A seemingly ordinary car pulled up(it had an Undetectable Expansion charm on it) and three men got out of it. One man with ruffled black hair and green eyes, one lean dark skinned Italian, and one tall, fair, and ginger. 

"Hello, boys," Ginny, her best friend, greeted happily, taking Harry's arm as he offered it to her. 

"Hey, Gin," Ron greeted with a smile and a tip of his head. He walked over to Hermione and grinned a smile that rather reminded her of an enthusiastic puppy. He planted a quick kiss on her lips, a robotic greeting that was repeated each time they saw each other.

"All right, let's get this show on the road," Blaise suggested with a single clap, gesturing to the white Audi behind them. "Reservation's at eight."

"Blaise's right. This place is... expensive," Harry remarked with a low whistle.

"Nothing you couldn't handle, I'm sure," her boyfriend remarked with a grin. It was no secret that Harry was more than privileged financially. After the war and all the press coverage and interviews and job offers, the Golden and Silver Trio members had more money than they knew what to do with. They used it constructively, to charity, Teddy's collective upbringing, to make sure their family was well taken care of, but they still had enough for several lifetimes. 

_He opens up my door and I get into his car  
And he says, you look beautiful tonight  
And I feel perfectly fine_

Ron opened one of the doors of the car and helped her into the passenger's seat with a grin.

"You look beautiful," he said to her, acknowledging her lace white dress, and she could practically see her friends melt from beside their partners.

"You look nice too," she responded with a sweet smile and a light kiss on his cheek. Ron was such an amazing boyfriend. Though he could be a little flighty, he tried to be there for her. When they fought, he'd apologize in the end. He comforted her when she was dejected and he was...safe. Their love was expected and like a fulfilling sleep after a long day. They didn't test or challenge each other. He was genuinely a nice guy, and she didn't deserve him by any standard.

They had a fun night and didn't return until the late night, and he was a perfect gentleman.

So why didn't she feel anything?

_But I miss screamin' and fightin'  
And kissin' in the rain_

_And it's two a.m. and I'm cursin' your name  
You're so in love that you act insane  
And that's the way I loved you_

They passed his house on the way home. A spacious house that was just small enough to be considered a house and not a manor, one of his family's smaller places(which was why it was his main residence). It had been one of the inheritances from his father. 

She remembered the day four years ago when she had walked in to find him in a mountain of paint supplies and home improvement accessories, paint smeared across his cheek. He had claimed he needed to revamp the house to erase all the traces of darkness that remained in the comparatively smaller home.

She had laughed softly and wiped his cheek with her thumb, throwing on a smock and getting half the house done by dinner. 

She saw him outside on his porch, sipping coffee alone in the dead of night. If he noticed or recognized them, he didn't show it.

The memories rampaged through her head... She recalled a moment from three years ago.

_"Honestly, I don't know why I even bothered-" she huffed, crossing her arms and storming outside._

_"Can you listen-" He was cut off by a string of sharp words._

_"For a moment, I actually thought Draco-fricking- Malfoy was capable of letting go of his pride to show some real affection, but no!"_

_"Can you let me get a word in edgewise-"_

_"His pureblood arse would never admit something like that to a mudblood like me!" she mocked cruelly, her lips curling into a scowl._

_"Don't even go there, Hermione. That's a low blow, you know I don't care for my past."_

_"Then why on Earth couldn't you answer me instead of scampering off like a scared little boy?"_

_"How could you drop a bomb like that and expect me to answer you immediately?" he bellowed, hair and clothes sticking to his skin in the rain._

_"Because its been six bloody months! At this point, I don't know if I'm actually your girlfriend or just a glorified booty call!" she shrieked at him from across the walk._

_"Don't you sodding dare," he warned, his smooth voice low with anger. "I thought we were content with each other, Hermione. I thought we were taking it slow with all the emotional shit. You never even gave a warning sign."_

_"I gave so many signs, Draco! I thought you were reciprocating. It was so blissful with each other and then... then I told you and you... you ran," she whispered, her voice breaking at the end. She looked at him with wide and melancholy hazel eyes that still had a spark of anger in them. The furiousness seemed to only magnify when he didn't respond. He seemed like he was... pondering something?_

_Her voice and resolve hardened at his lack of reaction. "You ran away, and that's on you," she seethed towards him. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She flipped her sopping wet hair and started to stalk towards the direction of her house. He had driven her to his house, and she'd walk the hour home in the cold rain before she'd ride the ten minutes in his car._

_"Oh my god," he groaned with little fanfare, rolling his eyes. "Mya, for one minute, can you let go of the dramatics and listen to me?"_

_She turned, eyes steely and mouth downturned in blatant frustration. "What the bloody hell is it now?"_

_"If you'd let me get a word in earlier," he began, pausing to take in her irritated glower. "You would've known that I was about to tell you that I couldn't say it because truthfully, I didn't know what that kind of thing felt like until after Mum was allowed to be the mother she wanted to be after we moved out of the manor. That was hardly... what, a year ago? I know I shouldn't have run out like that, but I needed to think it over. And I finally came to a conclusion while we were yelling at each other."_

_Her curiosity got the best of her and she let her apathetic facade fall, stepping closer. Her head cocked to the side subconsciously. "What is it?"_

_"I thought to myself while you were yelling that this time, I could actually lose you. And that sent me into panic because I realized that I never want to lose you, Mya. I couldn't live with myself if I did. You are my sole reason for existence. Without you, I would be rotting in Azkaban right now. You saved me from doing things I'd regret, got me and my Mum out of a toxic situation. After that, you were a friend to me, even when your best friends disapproved. For the past two years, you've been my constant companion and frankly, I'd sooner die than be without you. Because I am madly in love with you. Quite a lot, now that I'm realizing it."_

_Breakin' down and comin' undone  
It's a roller-coaster kinda rush  
And I never knew I could feel that much  
And that's the way I loved you_

_She all but burst into tears, emotion pouring from the depths of her heart. She didn't wait a moment and ran to him, launching herself into his arms and grasping him for dear life, kissing him with passion and ferocity. Something bubbled deep inside her, a churning that made her only want more of the sensation, a wild rush that made her as giddy as a schoolgirl for his intoxicating love._

And at 2 AM, right beside her gentle, handsome, ginger giant of a boyfriend, she was thinking about her passionate and caring ex boyfriend that it just didn't work out with. 

_He respects my space and never makes me wait  
And he calls exactly when he says he will  
He's close to my mother  
Talks business with my father  
He's charming and endearing, and I'm comfortable_

She tried to shake the thought out of her head. When she was little, Ron would've been her romantic ideal(though their physical relationship was lackluster. When Draco Malfoy had previously been worshiping every inch of your skin, Ron's grabby and inattentive hands were annoying).

Ron had all the qualities of a dream man. He could be a little needy and stubborn, but overall, he never pushed her beyond her limits. When she wasn't in the mood, he backed off. Granted, he wasn't the one to spend hours toiling with her in the library to try and restore her parents' memories, but who would do that without anything in return?

Draco, her mind echoed. He never deserted you, even for the most laborious work.

But then again, her parents loved Ron. Her mother found the childhood friends to lovers adorable and frequently thanked him for "taking care" of their little girl. She didn't know that Draco had been the one to help her reunite with them, and neither of them cared to correct her for fear she would lose her love for Ron.

He brought her mum flowers every time he visited, and sometimes, her father would be more ecstatic to see his "drinking buddy" than he was to see Hermione. 

Ron was humorous and courteous and the boy everyone wanted(next to Harry, but he and Ginny were married) and Hermione was... fine. She felt perfectly okay in Ron's arms, nothing more, nothing less. 

There was something she never had with Ron. Passion. With him, it was comfortable and predictable, she knew what to expect. With Draco, it was a wild thrill, a rush of so many emotions. Even when they passed the two year mark, when they were as domesticated as the most lasting couples and so in love, there was always the aspect of thrilling mercuriality. You never knew what the other was going to do. It was never the same, but it never failed to send emotions she never even knew existed through her.

_But I miss screamin' and fightin'  
And kissin' in the rain  
And it's two a.m. and I'm cursin' your name  
You're so in love that you act insane  
And that's the way I loved you_

_Breakin' down and comin' undone_

_It's a roller-coaster kinda rush  
And I never knew I could feel that much  
And that's the way I loved you_

The last straw that had broken her and Draco's relationship had happened a year back when he had taken them out to an unusually formal restaurant, even by his expensive standards.

_"Would you do me the extraordinary honor of being my wife?" He had looked so hopeful, love shining in his gray eyes. She had almost said yes, but reality crashed down on her._

_Marriage._

_It was so... permanent, but that wasn't the problem. What she was really afraid of was it not being permanent, about the pain of Draco realizing she wasn't what he wanted after she had already instilled the idea of being with him forever in her head._

_God, they had even talked about it multiple times, but now when he was in front of her and on one knee, it was so different._

_Taking it all into account, she blurted out the worst possible thing. "Draco, you've- you've ruined everything!" Hurt flashed in his silver eyes and he faltered, but still not slipping the diamond ring back in his pocket._

_"What?" he stuttered lamely, rare tears shining in his eyes. He blinked them away, standing up in front of her, the ring still held out to her._

_"We can't!" she stressed again, sprinting out of the restaurant, hot tears stinging her eyes. He jogged out after her, dropping a sack of Galleons on the table hurriedly._

_"Why not? You even said that one day-"_

_"It's different! It's too much now! I can't! You've just... completely destructed everything!"_

_"Me?" he said , his eyebrows bunching up in offense._

_"Yes! Now we'll never be able to go back to normal because you did this!" She didn't think, she just spoke and would come to regret it all as soon as the words slipped from her mouth._

_"Fine," he pleaded desperately, shoving it back in his pocket. "But don't... don't give up on this, Mya."_

_"I can't do this anymore. Not when you've gone and... pr-proposed. Our mind will always remember this and our downfall will be inevitable."_

_"You're... you're leaving me?" he said softly, his ash eyes the most vulnerable she'd ever seen them. Without reconsideration, she spoke words that she would forever rue._

_"Yes, I am!" Without a word, she spun around and got into her car, driving home. It was only when she got inside her empty home and closed her front door that she collapsed into tears right on her front steps._

He had tried to get a hold of her so many times, but her pride had gotten the best of her and she had turned away, though there was nothing she wanted more than him.

Now, the same feeling was shining through her. Right now, she longed to be under Draco's arm, to be subject to Draco's adoring stares, to have his kisses pepper her face. She was tempted to unlock the car door and run to his house right that instant.

_He can't see the smile I'm fakin'  
And my heart's not breakin'  
'Cause I'm not feelin' anything at all_

It wasn't fair to Ron. He was so supportive of her. He had been her best friend since age eleven and her boyfriend for a year when she was 18 and six months now. But strangely, she felt no inner conflict. She never had. Every kiss was a lie, every touch was a facade, every I love you, darling was something she was compelled to say.

The only reason she was staying was to spare his feelings because she did care for him, but her heart... she could feel it break as they moved farther away from the Malfoy house instead of breaking for Ron's blissfully unaware unrequited love. 

She truly cared for Ron, but not in the way he thought she did. 

_And you were wild and crazy  
Just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated  
Got away by some mistake and now_

She needed Draco to be anywhere close to joyful. She needed his unpredictable love, the spark of excitement in his slate gray eyes, the physical, the mental, the emotional comfort of being with him. He was a fine wine and she was an alcoholic with withdrawal symptoms. She had let go of him in fear that she'd never get over the addiction, but now she saw the truth. She didn't need to get over the addiction because he had always been right there for her. He wouldn't have ever left. 

It was as clear as daylight. She needed to try and fix things before she'd never be happy with life again.

"Stop the car!" she commanded, the words tumbling out of her mouth without a second thought. Ron looked at her with concern from the driver's seat.

"Ron, I'm sorry. I- I can't," she whispered, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around her body. She unbuckled the seatbelt.

"Are you carsick? Do you need to step out?" he asked with concern, though it was blind hope on his part. There was no way she was just carsick. Her behavior had been erratic and odd the past few months. She had been exponentially happier when she was with someone else and it broke his heart.

"I thought I could make it work, that I could make myself fall in love with you, but... I can't. You're not what I need. You're a wonderful man, and some woman will be very lucky to have you, but it won't be me. I can't be with you, it feels wrong in some way."

"It's him, isn't it?" he asked tenderly, looking down awkwardly. "You made a mistake with me; I know that."

"Oh Ron," she sighed with sympathy, kissing him on the cheek softly. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's alright, I'll live. All I want is your happiness, Mione. And if it's him... go to him. You're still my best friend, that's never going to change," he grinned, though it was sadder and more forced. 

"I love you, I mean that, just in a different way." Her car door was half open, the door to freedom half open.

"Love you too, Mione." She threw her arms around him tightly and pulled back after a moment, giving him a caring look and brushing away the tears in his blue eyes.

_I'll be screamin' and fightin'  
And kissin' in the rain  
It's two a.m. and I'm cursin' your name  
I'm so in love that I acted insane  
And that's the way I loved youBreakin' down and comin' undone  
It's a roller-coaster kinda rush  
And I never knew I could feel that much  
And that's the way I loved youAnd that's the way I loved you  
I never knew I could feel that much  
And that's the way I loved you_

With that, she got out and launched herself towards his house, running there and arriving in five minutes. He was still on the front porch, nursing his drink.

"Draco," she sighed softly, tears welling in her eyes when he looked up at her with desolate eyes that still reflected a heart break in them.

"Hermione? What are you-" 

Just like that first time, she all but attacked him with her mouth, making him drop his cup onto the porch as her lips moved against his insistently, cupping his face and feeling every corner of the handsome face she knew as well as her own. After just a moment, he fell into it, his hands curling around her waist and cupping her cheek. 

"Marry me," she whispered against his lips with an uncontrollably giddy smile at his touch. "I was a fool not to agree the first time. It scared me a little, how you could make me do anything with a simple look. All the emotion and feeling and love, it was new to me, and I was frightened that I had the capacity to feel such a thing. It didn't get through this thick skull that I could never leave you. I'd sooner die than be without you. Because I am madly in love with you," she echoed with a laugh, stroking his face as he looked at her with an exterior that melted in her gaze. "Marry me, and don't ever leave my side again."

He was surprised(though not negatively) and he barked out a laugh. "I... Okay."


End file.
